History

The Gateway Center began in 2000 as a part of Crisp Regional Hospital. The Gateway Center serves the Cordele Judicial District, consisting of Ben Hill, Wilcox, Crisp, and Dooly Counties in GA. It is a member of the National Children’s Advocacy Center (NCAC), a non-profit organization that provides training, prevention, intervention and treatment services to fight child abuse and neglect. The National Children’s Advocacy Center was established in 1985, and has trained more than 54,000 in more than 20 countries.

The Gateway Center serves as a forum through which concerned citizens, families, professionals and agency representatives can work together to provide and receive leadership, education and information to ultimately reduce or eliminate the incidence of child abuse in the area.

Child Advocacy

Recognizing that child victims of sexual and physical abuse are faced with the trauma of the abuse and the trauma of disclosure, and in order to coordinate and focus existing services for those victims, the Gateway Center, a children’s advocacy center, is a services program dedicated to the prevention, intervention and treatment of child abuse.

Sexual Assault Victims Services

The Gateway Center provides 24-hour services for all victims of sexual assault. The Gateway, Inc. serves the immediate primary needs of the clients including crisis intervention and safe compassionate forensic medical evaluation and evidence collection. The Gateway Center, Inc. collaborates with local, state, and national resources; provides a safe haven for victims of sexual assault and their families in the immediate aftermath of an assault; and educates all aspects of the local community regarding sexual assault.